Hot Topic Acquires Geek Fashion Company Her Universe

Her Universe is entering a brand new and exciting chapter! Announced on Friday, October 28, the geek fashion company officially joined forces with Hot Topic. I remember first writing about their partnership back in April 2013, and now, Her Universe will be embarking on a whole new journey as a division of Hot Topic.

The announcement, however, did bring up a few concerns.

Many fans were worried that the acquisition will change the mission of the fangirl favorite company and how it currently operates.

“Her Universe will continue to be a stand-alone brand that is available at multiple retailers and on HerUniverse.com just like we always have been,” wrote Ashley Eckstein in her letter to the fans. In many ways, it’ll resemble Torrid, a retail chain formerly owned by Hot Topic that operated on its own.

Her Universe products will also continue to appear in other locations, such as the Disney Parks (Shop Disney Parks app), ThinkGeek, BoxLunch, and Torrid.

What will this new change bring?

Plus sizes will be more accessible

Designs will be offered to fans in Europe

Fashion will also extend to men

Her Universe Press will be re-launched in a new and improved way

More fashion categories will be added, including activewear

More licenses will be added

All of this and more comes as part of a grand plan to support the growth of the company, as stated in the press release, “Steve [Vranes, CEO] and his team at Hot Topic presented an incredibly compelling vision for the future of the brand, and we feel extremely confident that Hot Topic and Ashley will together now lead Her Universe in ways that will satisfy and delight fans for years to come.”

After the big news dropped, Ashley Eckstein appeared in a Facebook Live video to answer questions and clarify any points of concern.

In terms of Star Wars activewear:

“There’s so many new designs that this new partnership is going to enable me to do . . . so lots, lots more of Star Wars designs to come. And activewear, we actually have another big activewear line planned for next year, so I’m super excited about that and definitely looking forward to doing more activewear—Star Wars activewear. That was actually something that for a while we didn’t even have the rights to do. That’s one thing with licensing, you have to specifically get the rights for that category, so I’m excited to share that we just got the rights for Star Wars activewear and we’re going to be making more of it. Once again, it takes a while, so what we’re designing now, you’re not going to see until the earliest next summer, but just know, we’re working on it.”

Dave Filoni also returns with another design!

“Definitely look for more Ahsoka designs. Dave Filoni has obviously designed every Ahsoka shirt we’ve ever done, so I will continue to pester him for designs. We have a new one for the holidays coming out that he did for us, so absolutely look for more Ahsoka.”

Rogue One apparel as well as Episode VIII designs currently being planned:

“We have some upcoming designs for Rogue One that have Jyn on them. We’ve already begun the conversation about Episode VIII with Rey. I’m so excited! We have more Rey stuff coming out, and then, of course, more Ahsoka stuff.”

Fans of Episodes I, II, and III are constantly looking for prequel-focused apparel and Ashley has some great news regarding that, stating that she loves the prequels and hopes to do more with them:

“We have an amazing designer on our team, a graphic artist named Liz (Elizabeth Acosta?). She worked with Heather [Spalding] on our team as well, and they designed the most gorgeous Naboo dress. It’s all of Naboo wrapped around a dress. It’s gorgeous! I definitely hope to release that. It’s designed, but once again, keep in mind the timeline, so we’re talking about probably spring/summer. We have a beautiful Naboo collection that they designed—it’s several pieces—and I’ll definitely try to make some of those pieces.”

Ashley also mentioned my favorite clone trooper!

“Captain Rex, yes! I would love to do something. Hopefully, if I can get something for Captain Rex maybe in time for Celebration, that would be great.”

What are your thoughts on the acquisition? Share them in the comments below.

UPDATE, 10/29/2016: A fan had asked more details regarding the availability of Her Universe in Europe and Ashley Eckstein responded with, “We’re going to start offering some of our designs through EMP in Europe next year!” EMP Merchandising already has a great collection of Star Wars shirts for both men and women, so I can’t wait to see Her Universe products start to pop up there for friends in Europe!

I will be very interested to see where things go from here. I’ve been so impressed with the brand and of course with Ashley herself, she’s really led the way in creating a more gender-inclusive Star Wars fandom and the designs are gorgeous :)

Agreed! She and her company did a lot in the past six years. I don’t think a lot of people understand the difficulties of running a business, but I hope this next chapter with Hot Topic will take it far!

Follow TWG

Search

Sites to Visit

Disclaimer

The Wookiee Gunner (TWG) is not sponsored by or affiliated with Lucasfilm Ltd. or the Walt Disney Company. ‘Star Wars’ and related properties are trademarks of Lucasfilm Ltd. This site is intended for entertainment and informational purposes only.

Follow TWG via Email

Want to get TWG updates in your inbox? Enter your email address to follow and receive notifications of new posts by email.